SNOW, GLASS AND TRUE LOVE
A/N: Yet another AU story (It's what I do.) A bit of Frozen, a bit of Once Upon a Time, a sprinkling of Jonnie, a hint of Freechamp, a lot of Dyfty and hopefully a bit of fun to read. In this version Dylan's father is a lovely guy so he's not called Brian.
Once, in another world not too far from ours, an evil demon existed. His demon name is too scary to tell you but the human name he used was Nicholas Jordan. He had a new invention and couldn't wait to use it. A mirror. This was no ordinary mirror. Everything that was beautiful in our world looked evil in that mirror. Its frame was a network of the most terrifying images of demons that you could ever fear to see.
His assistant, Louis the Imp, screamed out in shock as Jordan smashed the mirror.
Especially as several slivers had stuck in Louis's forehead.
"Stop whining, Looby. This mirror is worth more to me smashed than in one piece. I'm going to fling some of these pieces down to earth. And guess what will happen then?"
Louis couldn't guess and got a slap round the head for it.
"If a piece of glass gets into somebody's eye they will see everything that they thought was beautiful as ugly. But if a piece gets into a human heart… oh that's where the fun begins. They will become cold-hearted and evil, and will desire nothing less than to kill the thing they loved most. You and I will have spectator seats to the nastiest show on earth… and we'll start over in the fair land of Casualtiana."
"Casualtiana? You do realise Rita might-?"
"Rita! That third-rate sorceress? Hah!"
Louis got another slap round the head, then a beating with a broom. He was then told to get his act together because he and Nicholas were going on a glass-dropping mission over Casualtiana.
"How many are we dropping?" Louis said, becoming excited again.
"Just a couple this time. We'll take this first trip as an experiment."
Meanwhile, over in Beau Champia, the wonderful frozen land of the far North:
"Jacob?"
"Yes., darling?" King Jacob looked uneasily at his beautiful Queen Constanza. She was not a bad woman altogether, just spoiled and very headstrong.
"I fancy a trip to earth."
"Oh not again, darling, the travelling's such a hassle."
Constanza pouted.
"But it's so much fun watching people freaking out when there are unseasonable snow storms."
"That's not the only reason is it? You want another human toy."
"Well, yes."
"I want a girl then."
"Sorry, cutesy-poos. Only one person allowed back per trip, as well you know."
"Couldn't you just do the snow storm scare and I get the person?"
He could see from Constanza's firmly-set lips that this wouldn't be an option.
"I'll tell the guards to saddle up the reindeer, and the domestic staff to pack." Jacob always gave in.
"Tell them anybody who forgets to put in my crystal Louboutins gets a month in the dungeon when we come back."
Both Ben and Dylan had awoken in a panic that morning. Dylan's father, the rich businessman, Kilian Keogh, was throwing a huge party that night at Keogh Manor. It was to introduce Ben as Dylan's official fiancé. Kilian was very broad minded, believing that as long as his son had found true love, he didn't care who his boy wanted to marry. He'd been more than pleased with Ben Chiltern when he'd met him three months ago. Dylan had played a rather sneaky trick on Ben, pretending to be a Doctor at the local hospital where Ben had been admitted after receiving minor injuries from a fall. Dylan had been there to listen to one of his dad's speeches before Kilian had given a huge financial gift to the hospital. He'd bribed one of the doctors to lend him a spare uniform, and romance had bloomed between himself and Ben.
Now they were announcing their engagement.
Ben was stressed in case anything happened to stop them becoming engaged.
Dylan was stressed in general. He couldn't believe somebody like Ben, with his huge blue-grey eyes, his sensitive lips and dark curls, could fall in love with him. Not that Dylan was ugly; far from it. But Ben was like sunshine to Dylan's rain, Yin to Dylan's Yang. They were made to be together.
Now, as they stood on the balcony outside the grand ballroom of Keogh Manor, everything seemed perfect.
Both men's friends were having an excellent time. Lily could be frosty but was truly enjoying herself tonight, gentle Jess was coming out of her shell. The almost irritatingly cheerful Robyn was her usual self, while fluffy pink-haired Alicia was having a whale of a time dancing with everybody, including Kilian. Kilian himself was hoping he might meet the second Mrs Keogh during the evening. The problem of finding the first Mrs Keogh and divorcing her for desertion could come later.
"Can I throw it, Boss?" Louis begged.
"No you can not. I'm going to do this… one giant step for demonkind!"
And he hurled the two slivers of glass towards the two figures on the balcony.
"I can't believe you love me" Dylan said once more.
"I do; I swear I do."
"You loved me when you thought I was broke, Ben. I've had so many other men – and girls – making a play for me because of my fortune, and you just fell for me anyway."
"Because you're handsome, sensitive…ow!"
The 'ow' was because of the sliver of glass hitting him in the eye.
He looked back at Dylan… and couldn't understand it. The poor guy was nowhere as handsome as Ben had thought. Oh well, he was still Dylan… ow!
The second sliver had hit Ben straight in the heart. And the poison of pure evil set in.
"Hell" said Ben to the man he'd once loved, "Hell, you're fugly."
Dylan hoped Ben was teasing but when he looked back at the cold, calculating face of the man he thought cared about him, he could see Ben was deadly serious.
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